Relationships at Hogwarts
by stardust n dreams
Summary: *Chappie 15 added!*Relationships that Rowling has mentioned and foreshadowed but really hasn't written about, GW/HP and RW/HG...WARNING...OotP SPOILERS!!
1. The Dreams

ok, yeah, this is my first story I'm writing, I'm writing it because I don't think Rowling uses enough relationships in her books, don't get me wrong, I love them, but they are teenagers for God's sake.  
  
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter Characters are property of JK Rowling and Scholastic, I'm just playing with them.  
  
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Harry glanced at the curtains pulled around his four-poster, his body covered in a cold sweat. What was it that he had been dreaming about? He closed his eyes and tried to remember anything from his dream, then pictures came flooding back to him, red hair, a park bench, a kiss? But who was it?   
  
Racking his brain he tried to think of someone with red hair, but no one he would have kissed came to mind, Ron was his only friend with red hair, but wait a minute, his whole family had red hair.  
  
"Ginny," he whispered. But why would he have kissed Ginny? He shook the thought out of his mind and drew back the curtains, only to discover that everyone not home for winter vacation had already woken and gone down to the common room or breakfast.   
  
Getting up off the bed his bare feet touched the cold wooden floor giving him goose bumps, he looked out the window to see the snow falling on the grounds. He dressed into the sweater Mrs. Weasly had knitted him, glad to have something warm to wear, and ventured down the steps into the common room.   
  
Ron and Hermione were sitting in their favorite chairs by the fire, and other than a few second years, the common room was empty. Harry walked over and sat in a chair between the two and was amazed to see that Ron had a book open on the table next to him.   
  
"Ron, are you actually doing homework?" He asked in disbelief.  
  
Ron held up the book he was reading so that Harry could read the cover, Hogwarts, a History flashed across the front.  
  
"Hermione finally got me to read it, I have nothing else better to do while your up in the dormitory tossing and turning muttering something about Ginny." He looked at Hermione with a strange look in his eyes that Harry had only seen last year when Ron looked at Fleur.   
  
Harry felt himself blush, "Really? What was I saying?"   
  
"Oh, I can't remember everything, just something about Ginny, and you were getting bloody annoying."  
  
Relieved that he hadn't said anything embarrassing Harry nodded and glanced at Hermione who was staring into the fire as if transfixed with it.   
  
"Uh, Hermione, are you feeling okay?"  
  
"W-what? Oh yes Harry, I'm fine, just had a strange dream last night and I was trying to get it out of my mind." She gazed nervously at Ron and then at Harry.  
  
"You're not the only one, what was yours about?"  
  
"Oh nothing really, just a dream, that's all."  
  
Harry nodded, he knew something was going on, but he wasn't sure what. First the dream with Ginny, and then Ron reading one of Hermione's favorite books, and then Hermione acting strange, it was as if everyone had changed lives overnight. 


	2. The Room of Requirement

Disclaimer: They aren't mine…but I love them anyway!  
  
The rest of that day passed without incidents beyond Harry catching an occasional dreamy look from Ron to Hermione and vice versa, he really couldn't believe what was happening.   
  
Another thing that really began to bug him was that he actually noticed the fact that he hadn't seen Ginny at all in the common room, finally he asked Ron about it.  
  
"Hey Ron, where's Ginny? I haven't seen her all day."  
  
"Oh, she said something about spending the day with Professor Trelawney, something about a dream she had that she wanted her to tell her about."  
  
"Another dream? Ugh." Harry grumbled.  
  
"What would she want to go to that crackpot about?" Hermione asked, looking at Ron, but toward his chest, not his eyes.  
  
"What did you just say Harry?" Ron asked, looking up from Hogwarts, a History.  
  
"Never mind, hey Hermione, can I talk to you for a second?"  
  
"Huh? Oh sure Harry, I guess you can, would you like to go for a walk or something? Ron, do you mind?"  
  
"No w-why would I mind?" Ron blushed again, almost enough to match his hair.  
  
"Okay, come on Harry."  
  
They walked out of the common room leaving a confused Ron behind in their wake. After going through the portrait of the Fat Lady Hermione led Harry to the 7th floor and right to the door across from the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy being clubbed by trolls. Harry knew automatically where she was taking him, the Room of Requirement. Thinking of this brought back memories of the DA meeting when he had received his first true kiss from Cho. They walked into the room, which was as Dobby had said the year before, "equipped with the seekers needs."  
  
Two chairs sat facing each other next to the roaring fire, and two mugs of butterbeer sat on the table next to them. They walked over to the chairs and sat down each grabbing a mug of butterbeer.   
  
"Okay Harry, what was it you wanted to talk about?"  
  
"Well, this is kind of hard to say, but I can't talk to Ron about it because it concerns Ginny." Hermione blushed at the sound of Ron's name and set down her butterbeer.   
  
"What about her?"  
  
"Last night I had a dream about Ginny, I cant remember much of it just that we were sitting on a park bench in London…" He paused, scared to say any more, but then he remembered that Hermione was one of his best friends and that she would never judge him.   
  
"The only thing I do remember is that I-I kissed her." He breathed a sigh of relief glad to get it off his chest.   
  
He looked up at Hermione, as he had been fixated with the ground while telling her and he was surprised to see that she was smiling.  
  
"Oh Harry, I'm so happy for you!"  
  
"Wha--?"  
  
"Ginny really likes you Harry! She tells me about it all the time at night in the dormitory, she has ever since she met you at King's Cross that first year!"  
  
It was Harry's turn to smile, he knew that Ginny used to like him, but was oblivious to the fact that she still did.   
  
"Well at least I know that I'm not going insane, maybe that was what she went to Trelawney about, she must have had the same dream as I did."  
  
"Of course it is Harry! She had no one else to go to, she very well couldn't tell me about a dream like that, I'm one of your best friends."  
  
He looked at her, her hazel eyes glimmering in the firelight. "Hermione, what's going on with you and Ron? You've both been acting strange all day."  
  
She blushed again, embarrassed that he had noticed her foolish girly antics.   
  
"Well, you see, despite all our arguments, I find myself…" She paused, just as Harry had done.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I find myself….falling in love with Ron."  
  
Although he knew it was coming, the shock of it still made him wince as it began to sink in. Hermione was looking into the fire, perplexed. Harry didn't blame her, he knew exactly what she was going through.   
  
He looked at her again, until her eyes met his, he held out his hand and stood up, helping her up with him.   
  
"I'll hold my tongue if you hold yours," she smiled at him, her eyes twinkling, reminding Harry of Dumbledore's.  
  
"Deal."  
  
"Thanks Harry." She kissed him on the cheek and walked out of the room, he ran to catch up and they walked in silence the rest of the way to Gryffindor Tower.   
  
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A/N: hope you like it so far, I think I know what's going to happen next, but I'm not sure, I'll write ASAP  
  
Natalie 


	3. Dumbledore's Announcement

Harry and Hermione returned to the common room just as Ron was going down to dinner.  
  
"Finally, you two took forever!" He said, looking determinedly at Harry.  
  
"Can we just go eat? I'm starving!" Hermione beamed at Harry, giving a small wink as she turned on her heel and walked to the Great Hall. Harry and Ron both followed suit, running to catch up with her  
  
When they got to the Great Hall, the few students and teachers still at the school were seated around one of the long house tables and the other tables had been pushed to the side of the room between the 12 towering Christmas trees.  
  
Hagrid waved at Harry as he sat down next to Ron and Hermione. He returned the wave with a friendly smile. Dumbledore looked his normal self but in stunning robes of red and green, making him look like Father Christmas himself, he stood up and cleared his throat and the hall fell silent.   
  
"As we patiently await the arrival of our last two dinner guest, who are walking down the hall right now, I would like to take this time to tell you that I have quite a large announcement that will take place after dinner, and dinner shall take place as soon as our student and teacher duet who are so absentmindedly late for dinner arrive."  
  
As he said that Ginny and Professor Trelawney strolled into the room as if nothing had happened. Harry looked up at Ginny and made eye contact, they blushed simultaneously as Professor Trelawney took her seat next to Hagrid, and apologized to Dumbledore for being late. Ginny sat down next to Hermione and began talking excitedly to her.   
  
Dumbledore nodded an approval to Professor Trelawney and winked at Ginny then cleared his throat again and said, "Tuck in."  
  
Instantly the plates before them were filled with food and everyone heaped helpings onto their plates and began to eat. Ginny was still talking avidly to Hermione as dinner came to an end, and the food was cleaned off the plates, but unusually the plates stayed on the and finally Dumbledore cleared his throat again to gain attention. Ginny didn't seem to notice until Hermione elbowed her and told her to shut up.  
  
"Now, for my big announcement. I was going to hold this event last year, but alas, was not able to for…obvious reasons." A trickle of laughter ran through the students while Dumbledore's eyes sparkled more brightly than ever.   
  
"As I was saying, I thought you all had a wonderful time at the dance two years ago, during the TriWizard Tournament, so I talked it over with the other professors, and we all agree that we should have another dance, but it is up to you all on whether we have it during break or once the rest of the students get back."  
  
There was a murmur of excitement from the students and Dumbledore continued.   
  
"So, in order to do this, I have put a spell on the bottom of your plates, if you would please turn them over and look at the bottoms, you will notice that there are two buttons, the top one is if you would like to wait until after break, and the bottom is if you would like to have it this Friday night."  
  
Harry turned over his plate and looked at the two large red buttons on the bottom. He looked to his right and saw Ron press the bottom one, and on his left Hermione and Ginny did the same, he followed and pressed the bottom, instantly the buttons disappeared and Harry set his plate back down on the table and looked at Dumbledore. He had sat down and like his fellow teachers was pressing one of the buttons on his plate.   
  
About ten minutes later, Dumbledore stood and surveyed the table, making sure that everyone was done voting and then clapped his hands together for silence. Everyone's eyes were glued on him and his eyes were glimmering under his half-moon spectacles. He picked up his own plate again and turned it over, nodding his head as if reading something on the back. Harry realized that the results must have been revealed on the back of Dumbledore's plate.   
  
"Very well then, our dance shall be this Friday night, Christmas Eve. I expect you all to have good behavior until then, and your dress robes are to be worn, you are excused."  
  
Harry looked at Ron who was grinning happily and then at Hermione who winked at him again, and then stood up. The rest of the way to the tower they all talked happily about the upcoming event in 3 days. Once they got to the common room, they took their normal seats by the fire and Ginny pulled up one and sat next to Hermione.  
  
"I can't wait!" Ginny giggled to Hermione, Harry remembered how she had gone with Neville to the dance two years ago, hoping that she may go with him this time. He made a mental note to himself to see if Neville had gone home for Christmas or not.   
  
The rest of the night in the common room was filled with talk of the dance and who partners would be, Harry still had to get up enough nerve to ask Ginny to go, and he was determined to by the end of the night. Ron on the other hand had absorbed himself in Hogwarts, a History again. Harry interrupted him finally because it was getting late and he could tell Ron was getting tired.   
  
"Hey Ron, wanna' take a break from that for a second and talk to me?" He asked jokingly.  
  
"Huh? Oh, sure, what about?"  
  
"The dance, who are you thinking of asking?" At this Harry saw Hermione's head snap up from the corner of his eye.  
  
"Oh, well, umm, I'm not really sure yet." He said, nervously glancing at Hermione. "Who are you asking?"  
  
"Well," he gulped, "as long as you don't mind Ron, I was going to ask Ginny."  
  
Ron raised an eyebrow and said, "No, I guess not, at least she's going with someone I can trust, I'm sure mum'll be bloody happy about it too."  
  
"What about mum?" Ginny had come back down from the dormitory and was now standing next to Ron.  
  
"Well Harry here…" He was cut off as Harry elbowed him hard in the ribs and gave him a dark scowl.  
  
Ginny looked at Harry and blushed, "What about Harry?"  
  
Harry took over from where Ron left off, "Well Ginny, I was wondering if you would like to go to the Christmas dance with me?"  
  
Ginny blushed so deep red that her face matched her hair, "W-w-well yes, I suppose that would be nice, I'd love to go with you Harry."  
  
Harry felt his heart leap and couldn't say another word, he nodded, glad that it was over, and a lot easier than he thought it would be for him. Ginny nodded again, color still rushing to her cheeks and walked away back up to the girls dormitory. Hermione grinned at him and bid him and Ron goodnight and followed her. Soon he and Ron were the only people in the common room.   
  
"Ron, ask Hermione to the dance." Harry said out of the blue.  
  
Ron looked up, his face resembled Ginny's after Harry had asked her. "W-why do you say that?"   
  
"Well, there's no Krum, and I can tell you like her Ron, don't play stupid."  
  
Ron looked into the fire and nodded his head, "Well Harry, I'm off to bed, are you coming up?"  
  
"Yeah, I'll be up in a second."  
  
Ron stood up and grabbed Hermione's book and went up to the boy's dormitory, leaving Harry alone in the common room. He started to stand up when he heard hushed footsteps coming down the stone steps. He heard a small gasp and turned around.  
  
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A/N ending the chapter here, this could get interesting, I'm going to write the next chapter today, I'm on a roll!  
  
Natalie 


	4. The Thunderstorm

Disclaimer: and again…everything having to do with Harry Potter belongs to the great JK Rowling…except for my plot line!  
  
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Harry turned around to see Ginny standing at the bottom of the stairs in a night gown a bit too thin for the winter weather.  
  
"Oh Harry!" She said, turning crimson again and running over to a chair that had a blanket strewn over the back of it, covering herself up.   
  
"Ginny! What are you doing down here so late?"  
  
"I have half the mind to ask you the same thing! But I couldn't sleep."  
  
"I was just about to go up to bed, Ron just left."  
  
"Oh, well then goodn…" She was stopped by a clap of thunder that made her jump.  
  
"A storm in this season? Never would have seen that coming."  
  
"Yeah, I know, its w..OH!" She jumped again, terror in her eyes as another clap of thunder filled the silence in the common room.   
  
"Ginny, are you scared of the storm?"   
  
"Well, yes kind of."  
  
Harry raised an eyebrow, "Kind of?" Another jolt of thunder shook the empty glasses sitting on the table next to Harry.  
  
"Well, okay, very scared. Harry, would you stay down here with me for a bit? Until the storm dies down?" She asked, giving him puppy dog eyes that he couldn't resist.   
  
"Yeah, I guess I could, I'm really not that tired." He took a seat on the couch by the nearly extinguished fire and Ginny sat down next to him.  
  
They sat for a while and talked about the dance, then silence overcame them. Harry jumped almost as high as Ginny had when the first thunderbolt hit, when he felt her head on his shoulder. He looked down to see that she was sleeping soundly. He noticed that the thunder had stopped after a few more rumbles when they had sat down.   
  
"Strange," he whispered, "There has to be a reason that there was no rain only…" He stopped and saw the reason, Peeves. He was floating up in the top corner of the room watching the two sitting there, trying not to burst with hysterical laughter. Harry knew that he could make noises like that, and figured that he must have done it to scare Ginny.   
  
"Peeves!" He half whispered, half yelled, making the ghost go into another hysterical fit of silent laughter and float out of the room. Ginny stirred but didn't wake up, and Harry tried to nudge her off of his shoulder, but it was no use at all. 'I guess I'll just have to sleep here tonight and hope that no one comes down before we wake up,' he thought.   
  
He pulled the blanket up a bit further on Ginny and got comfortable and fell into a sleep, again plagued by the dream with Ginny in the park. But this time, he actually seemed to enjoy it.   
  
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Harry woke the next morning quite early, but he was glad he did. He nudged Ginny and she woke up, and rubbed her eyes sleepily.  
  
"Oh Harry, we must have fallen asleep last night, I guess the storm was over after we fell asleep."  
  
Harry nodded, he didn't have the heart to tell her that she was just afraid of the mindless antics of a ghost. "We should probably go back to the dormitory's before someone comes down and sees us like this."   
  
As if on cue a sleepy Ron walked into the common room and screamed, "OY! What are you two doing down here?! Were you down here all night?!"  
  
Harry stood up and Ginny hurried to cover herself with the blanket. "Ron chill out! I was going up and Ginny came down and asked if I would sit with her until the storm was over."  
  
Ron looked out the window, "There was no storm last night."   
  
Harry explained about Peeves' and with every word Ginny turned a deeper shade of crimson.   
  
Ron sat down on the couch beside Ginny and put his face in his hands and began running his fingers through his hair. Finally he looked up at Ginny.   
  
"Nothing happened, right?"   
  
"No, nothing Ron, we were talking and I must have fallen asleep and my head rolled over onto his shoulder." Harry nodded vigorously.   
  
"Well, okay, just promise me that nothing is going to happen between you at this dance, that's only one more thing I need to worry about."  
  
Harry and Ginny looked at each other then at Ron, and said simultaneously, "We promise."  
  
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A/N…well, yes you know now that this is going to get fluffy, and that I'm certainly not going to not let anything happen between Ginny and Harry *wink wink* just to warn u though, it will get pretty fluffy b/c that's just the kind of person I am, I'm gonna try and write the 5th chapter tonight so that it will be posted by tomorrow  
  
Thanks to all who reviewed!!  
  
Natalie 


	5. Ron's Request

Disclaimer:…they aren't mine….I know, now leave me alone to sulk *sniff*  
  
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The dance came quicker and quicker, and without classes to help pass the time, Harry didn't know what to do with himself. Ron still hadn't asked Hermione and it began to aggravate Harry to the point where he brought it up with Ron.   
  
"Ron, the dance is tomorrow night, and you still haven't asked Hermione, will you just do it for Merliln's sake?!"  
  
Ron looked up at him with a look that told Harry that he was way to scared to do it.  
  
"Well then, I'll just do it for you."  
  
"Do what for him?"   
  
Ron and Harry both turned around to see Hermione coming down the steps.  
  
"Hermione-will-you-go-to-the-dance-with-me?" Ron said in one breath.  
  
Harry and Hermione turned to look at Ron in mild surprise.   
  
"Oh Ron, I'd love to!"  
  
Harry saw a small grin flash across Ron's lips, but it was unparalleled to the ear to ear smile that covered Hermione's face.  
  
"Okay, well I'll meet you down here tomorrow night at 6:30," Ron managed to stutter.  
  
Hermione nodded again and ran up the steps to the girls dormitory without another word.   
  
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The next day came a lot faster then Harry would have hoped, most of the students stayed in the common room the entire day except for breakfast and lunch. Lunch wasn't very big because there was to be a huge feast with the dance that night.   
  
Around 4 o'clock Hermione excused herself to go get ready for the ball, this time, Harry noticed that Ron made no comment about her taking 3 hours to get ready.   
  
The crowd in the common room died down around 5:30 and Harry and Ron went up to the dormitory to get ready. Harry pulled his deep green robes out of his trunk and ironed them magically to get some of the creases out. Ron took his new dark blue robes out of his trunk and Harry smiled at the thought of what Fred and George had done with the remainder of his TriWizard winnings after buying Ron some new robes.   
  
Harry put some of the Muggle hair gel that he had stolen from Dudley onto his unruly black hair, managing to tame it down a bit. After he had brushed his teeth and made sure he looked okay, he walked back to the dormitory to wait for Ron. But, it was Ron who was sitting on Harry's bed waiting for him.   
  
"Hey Harry, can I have a word with you before we go down?" He asked, sounding particularly mature.   
  
"Sure, about what?"  
  
"Well, Ginny is my little sister, just promise me you won't hurt her Harry, I know you wouldn't, but still. Don't hurt her, okay?"  
  
Harry had known this was coming, "I won't hurt her Ron, I promise you, but I can't promise that nothing is going to happen between us tonight."  
  
Ron looked at Harry and nodded, "I know mate, I know."  
  
They walked down to the common room to find they were the only ones. They sat in their chairs by the fire and waited when they both heard a soft click of heels from behind them. They got up and turned around, bracing themselves for what they would see. Harry's jaw dropped at the site of them both standing there at the bottom of the steps in their gowns.  
  
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A/N OOOOOO anticipation…teehee…its 830 but I might write another chapter tonight, but I'm burning with ideas for another story…maybe a DM/HG twist?! Teehee…im evil, yes I know. I promise ill write more tomorrow tho…  
  
Please review!! And thanks to those who have!  
  
Natalie 


	6. The Ball

A/N: Not going to keep you all waiting any longer…but I am starting another story today, so I might only write 2 chapters for this story or so. I was up until 2 last night writing ideas down for another story, so I'm anxious to actually turn them into a story. Anyway, enough with my mindless crap, onto the story!!  
  
Disclaimer: Must you people keep bringing this up! Nothing in this story is mine but the plot! *sobs*  
  
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Hermione didn't even look like herself, and Harry caught himself staring at her a second longer than she should have. Her dress robes were a deep blue this year with glittery designs near the bottom, and her hair was swept up to the back of her head, and was no longer bushy but elegantly curled with ribbons and flowers weaved throughout it.   
  
Ginny on the other hand had deep crimson robes, red enough to match her hair and the way her cheeks were when she blushed. Her hair, like Hermione's was at the back of her head and had curls sprouting out of it between ribbons and flowers. Harry guessed that they had done each other's hair that night.   
  
Ron's mouth was still gaping open after they had said their hellos and how are you's. Harry held out his hand face up and Ginny put hers on his and they started walking through the common room and out the portrait of the Fat Lady. Harry looked back and saw that Ron and Hermione had done the same and were now following them holding hands talking a little bit as well. Noticing that he seemed to be ignoring Ginny he started having pointless conversation with her. The group of couples following them seemed to get bigger and bigger as they got nearer to the Great Hall.   
  
When they got to the Great Hall the doors were already open but no one was going into the Hall. Noticing this, Harry pulled Ginny to the front of the group to see what was going on. Peeves was floating at the entrance holding water balloons that were full of what looked like gravy. Harry stepped back as Dumbledore came through and shooed Peeves away from the door.   
  
The students began filing into the room and sitting down at the candlelit tables that were set for four. Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny all found an empty table and sat down. After 15 minutes of sitting there and waiting for food Harry heard Dumbledore say 'Pork Chops!' to his plate. Remembering this was how it was at the last dance all the students placed their orders with the plates and the food appeared moments later. After idle chatting and eating the plates were cleared and the tables were pushed aside.   
  
Harry heard a band start playing and looked up to see the Weird Sisters playing up on a makeshift stage. The song was very slow and he looked at Ginny who was looking at the couples out on the dance floor with a dreamy look in her eyes. He stood up and gave her his hand and led her out onto the dance floor. Dancing with Ginny was different from how it had been with Parvati two years before. No longer was he being led around, but it was he who was doing the leading. Instead of taking one of her hands and placing the other on her waist he put both on her waist as she had put both around his neck. Harry looked up to see Ron and Hermione dancing about a foot away from each other but still seeming to enjoy themselves.   
  
When the song was over they all went over to the table again and sat down. Ron gave Harry a 'go take a walk but don't do anything stupid' look, and Harry asked Ginny if she would like to go out for a walk. She nodded and they got up and excused themselves from the table. They walked to the front lawn which had been decorated with fountains and bushes with flowers and it was all lit by little flames sitting on the branches of the bushes and on the fountains. Harry recognized these as pixies, probably the same ones that had been there two years ago at the last ball.   
  
They found a bench and sat down on it, they seemed to be pretty far away from the castle and away from anyone else as well. Harry tried talking to her, asking questions, she wasn't nearly as easy to talk to as Cho or Hermione. Harry had asked her what animals Hagrid had the fifth years taking care of this year, and she told him that they each got to raise their own Nifflers and how their final exam would be how well they had trained them in getting gold that was buried. Harry laughed and thought 'just like Hagrid.'  
  
They sat in silence for a few minutes when Ginny finally said, "Harry, can I ask you a question?"  
  
"Sure Ginny, what about?"  
  
"Well, I had a really strange dream the other night, about us sitting on a park bench like this one and we…we…" She stopped, Harry finished the sentence for her.   
  
"We kissed."  
  
She looked up at him and nodded. Harry had never noticed how innocent she looked, he looked down at her and smiled.   
  
"Harry, this may be a forward question, and tell me if I'm being rude, but…have you ever been kissed?"  
  
Harry looked at her and smiled again, and nodded. She looked away as if she had been slapped in the face.   
  
"Why Ginny?"  
  
"Well, I always wanted my first kiss to be from someone who never has been kissed before, just so that we could both always remember it."  
  
"Ginny, you don't have to worry about someone not remembering it, whether it be me or not." He put his hand on hers and she looked back up at him.   
  
"Thanks Harry, you always know what to say."  
  
He smiled again and nodded, feeling the strongest urge to kiss her at that moment, but he knew that it would be rude. She seemed to read his mind though, and looked him straight in the eyes. He never noticed, but she had the prettiest blue eyes. He felt himself inching nearer and nearer to her, and she was doing the same. Her head gave a tiny nod as if saying it was okay, everything was going to alright. He tilted his head and closed his eyes. Their lips locked for a moment and Harry felt his mouth growing particularly dry. He pulled his head away and looked at Ginny in the eyes again, she was smiling.   
  
"Well, we should probably go back and see if we can catch one last slow song before Dumbledore wraps it up." She whispered, not taking her eyes off of him.   
  
Harry nodded and got up, his head still in a daze, he looked at his watch, it was already 11:30. They walked back to the Great Hall just as they heard the Weird Sisters striking up their last song, as Harry had hoped, it was a slow one.   
  
When the dance was over and Dumbledore had wished everyone a Merry Christmas Eve and sent everyone off to bed Harry walked with Ginny hand in hand up to the tower. He hadn't seen any sign of Ron or Hermione since he had left though, and he was getting quite worried. Once they had reached the portrait of the Fat Lady they decided to say their goodnights in the hall, incase Ron was waiting for them in the common room.   
  
Ginny hugged Harry and looked up into his emerald eyes, their lips met again in a longer kiss. He pulled his head back and wished her goodnight, hugging her again. They followed each other into the common room only to find Ron and Hermione sitting on the couch near the fire talking happily. Harry took a double take and noticed that Ron's arm was behind Hermione as if he was holding her. Ginny began walking over to them and Harry followed. After a bit of talking about the music and the dance, they bid their farewells and went to bed.   
  
As soon as they were up in the dormitories Ron came up to Harry, "Thanks mate, for taking Ginny, I could tell she had a good time."  
  
Harry nodded and then asked Ron, "So how was your night Ron?"  
  
Ron laid back on his bed and stared at the ceiling sighing heavily but happily. "Well lets just say the dance got a bit boring for us, so we came back up here and…talked for a while." He gave Harry a sly grin.  
  
"You were up here snogging her weren't you Ron?" Harry laughed.  
  
"Well, not the entire time, but yes." He sighed again and began to tell Harry the events of the night.  
  
"We both decided around 10 to come up and sit here because the music was giving Hermione a headache and we just wanted to spend some time alone. So we came up here and sat on the couch for a little bit and started talking, telling each other our dreams and ambitions and everything, it was great. Then I had been talking for a bit and she hadn't said anything and I noticed that she was staring up at me so I looked down at her. That's when she started moving closer to me, so I put my arms around her and I kissed her. It wasn't long or anything, just a short kiss on the lips. Then we just started snogging from there, and bloody hell, she's good at it too. Then we stopped and talked again, and she told me how she has started liking me and I told her the same." He ran his hands through his hair and gave Harry a sly grin. "Now, how about your night?"  
  
Harry told him how they had gone out onto the grounds and talked, not even mentioning the fact that they had kissed. But he knew it was inevitable, he would have to tell Ron sooner or later.   
  
And again, almost on cue Ron said, "Did you kiss her Harry?"   
  
Harry nodded and waited for a reaction, "I see, well goodnight mate."  
  
He looked at Ron as if he had been slapped, "You aren't mad?"   
  
"Why would I be? I knew that it was going to happen, I'm just glad that she's happy."  
  
Harry looked at Ron and said, "Okay, well goodnight Ron." And with that he laid his head on his pillow and fell into a sleep filled with dreams of Ginny.  
  
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A/N: FLUFFY!!! Yay, hey sorry all you non-fluffy fans, but that's just the kind of writer I am! I did a long chapter, so I'm gonna do a HG/DM story now!! Teehee R/R it plz! And of course do the same for this story!  
  
Natalie 


	7. The Gifts

A/N…okay, well I was caught up reading someone else's story all day…if anyone wants to check out a really good HG/DM story…read It Never Comes Easy by Sapphire Rhapsody…but just to warn you, its really long and a bit racy at times…anyways…onto the story  
  
Disclaimer:…they aren't mine…get over it!  
  
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The next morning Harry woke up and remembered the events of last night, and the way Ron had blown him off about kissing Ginny. He didn't think much of it though, until he got down to the common room. Ginny was sitting next to Hermione talking avidly to her again as Harry came into the room they both looked up and giggled.   
  
"Merry Christmas Harry!" Ron called from across the room. Harry noticed that this year all the students presents were placed under another 12 foot tall tree that was in the common room instead of on top of their beds.   
  
"Merry Christmas Ron, Hermione, Ginny." He said, nodding to each one in turn.   
  
The girls echoed their Merry Christmas and Hermione turned to Harry, "Well, since your up, we can open presents now I'd hope."  
  
Everyone nodded and went to the Christmas tree, bringing back their own piles of presents and sitting in the chairs by the fire. Harry opened the first present which was hastily wrapped in toilet paper, and a bottle of ink fell out on the floor. With it was a note saying, 'You left this here, we have no use for it. Vernon.'   
  
Putting the ink bottle aside he reached for his next present, the light weight and lumpy feel led Harry to know instantly what it contained. He opened it and one of Mrs. Weasly's sweaters fell out onto his lap with a note falling on top of it. It read, 'Dearest Harry, I know your present isn't much, and it's the same every year, but there is another present I would like to give you as well. If you would look through your present pile and find a small box wrapped in the paper the same as this one. Please open it last. All our love, Molly, Arthur, Fred, and George Weasly.'  
  
Harry found the small box and set it on the table next to him by the ink bottle, placing the sweater underneath it. He reached for his next present, opening it and finding a book entitled, "Everything You Would Ever Want or Need to Know About Your Firebolt." Smiling he looked up and thanked Hermione, knowing she was the only one that would ever buy him a book.   
  
His next present was heavier than it looked, he opened it and found an assortment of joke items that Fred and George had been selling the year before. The card on top said, 'Harry, Have fun, you know we are. Fred, George, and Ron' He thanked Ron and reached for the second to last present sitting on the ground in front of him.   
  
Hagrid's present was different from any of the ones he had ever gotten, it had a lot more meaning to it than any book or sweater that anyone could have given him. Inside the small box were photos of Harry and Sirus together. Still trying to figure out how Hagrid had taken the pictures he flipped through them, noticing that they all were from 12 Grimauld Place. He did not catch himself in time and he let a lone tear streak down his cheek, remembering the fact that the last present laying there was not from Sirus, and there would be no present from him ever again. He wiped the tear from his face and reached toward the last present that Mrs. Weasly had sent. Cradling it in his hands for a minute Harry looked down at the small box wondering what it could be. His curiosity got the best of him and he tore off the paper, to find a small ring box. He opened the box and found a diamond ring, reading the note he found tears streaming down his cheeks again.   
  
'Dearest Harry,   
  
This was given to me during your first year at Hogwarts, it was your mother's wedding ring. She loved you a lot Harry, more than you or I can ever imagine. She gave her life for you. Now I am returning this to you, it has powers, that I am sure of, but what type of powers, I'm not sure. Please be careful with it, you may need it later. Please remember, even though no one will ever replace your parents, you still have the Weasly's to come home to.  
  
Love,  
  
Molly Weasly.'  
  
It was not until Ron slapped him did Harry come back to reality, rubbing his cheek that now had a red handprint blossoming on his skin he irritably said, "What was that for?"  
  
"You were getting bloody hysterical! Sobbing and crying, I had to do something! Sorry mate."  
  
"Oh Harry," a soft voice whispered from beside him. Harry looked up and saw Hermione holding the ring and the letter in her hands, tears streaming down her face as well.  
  
Ron read the letter and looked up at Harry, "Sorry 'bout that mate, I didn't know why you were crying."  
  
Harry nodded, glad that he had such great friends, he took his gifts up to the room and dressed for the day, placing his mother's wedding ring on a chain around his neck, not wanting to leave it anywhere where it might be lost.   
  
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A/N…Sorry, kind of a short chapter, writers block! Urgh…ill work on this tomorrow I'm going to work on my other story now…that I haven't even started!!  
  
Love and Fluff,  
  
Natalie 


	8. The Ring

A/N: Okay, sorry to keep everyone waiting but I had to do sum stuff, im going on vacation next week, but I promise Ill write!!!! onto the next chapter!!  
  
Disclaimer…Merlin people!…they aren't mine! (that was supposed to be sarcasm, sorry, I know I'm pathetic!)  
  
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Christmas day was just like any other day, beyond the fact that everyone, including Snape seemed cheerier than normal. Everything was going wonderful. Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Harry all had a snowball fight (a muggle one at least) and then they all went to the kitchens to wish the House Elves a Merry Christmas, this of course being Hermione's idea. They had exited with steaming hot mugs of hot cocoa, much to the dismay of Hermione, although she did admit that it seemed to warm her up considerably.   
  
That evening after the feast, however, the normal day turned into quite the opposite for Harry.   
  
They were all sitting in the common room talking about their Christmas gifts and such when Professor McGonagall burst through the door, almost out of breath. After regaining her composure she pointed to Harry and told him to follow her. Never disobeying the head of his house, he followed her out the door and down the stairs. After walking at a very fast pace for quite a long time, he realized where they were going.   
  
Professor McGonagall stopped at the stone statue of the eagle that Harry knew was the entrance to the Headmaster's office. She said the password (chocolate frog) and ushered the boy up the stairs.   
  
Now Harry had been in Dumbledore's office many times before, and yet he was still fascinated by the tiny silver trinkets, and the pictures asleep in their frames of the past headmasters of Hogwarts. Most of all he loved the watch Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix who slept on its golden perch by Dumbledore's desk at the moment.   
  
He looked at the Headmaster, apparently who was deep in thought at the moment, as he had his hands in almost a prayer position and had his head bowed. He looked up as they entered.   
  
"Ah, Harry, nice to see you. Thank you Minerva, you may return to your office now, that's all I need as of now, but if I shall need you again, I know how to reach you."   
  
Professor McGonagall bowed her head and walked down the stone steps. Harry's heart was still beating fast, but he began to wonder why Dumbledore was so calm when McGonagall had looked so out of breath.   
  
"Excuse me, Professor, but why exactly did you call me here?" An excited but very nervous Harry asked. Dumbledore looked back at Harry now, as he had been watching his colleague leave his office.   
  
"Well Mr. Potter, it concerns the gift which was given to you this morning by Molly Weasly."  
  
Harry's hand instinctively flew to the chain around his neck on which his mother's ring hung. Dumbledore saw this action and nodded.   
  
"What about my mother's ring?"  
  
"Well, you see Harry, many years ago when your father gave your mother that ring, he gave it to her with a promise. Not just the promise of marriage, but something much deeper than that. He gave it to her with the promise that he would love her always and always keep her safe. This promise, he carried out dutifully until his death. He gave his life to save you and your mother, and she gave her own to save you. The love that they both felt for you was unthinkable, unimaginable if you will." He stopped, looking at Harry's hand which still clutched his mother's ring. "That ring, has many powers, but many will only be activated through love. Yes love Harry, some of its powers will never work until you find the one you love and give it to her. But, the others, they will."  
  
Harry sat back in his chair stirring a bit, trying to comprehend what Dumbledore had just said. His mother's ring had powers? But how could he use them?  
  
Dumbledore seeming to read his mind continued, "The other powers, that do not need your love for another to work will work only because your parents both died for you. You need these in your quest to kill Voldemort. You will figure out how to use the powers on your own, I can not help you. But I will tell you this, the diamond on the ring is not a normal diamond, it has powers of its own. Please, use it the powers of the ring and the diamond carefully."  
  
Harry looked at the ring hanging on his chest, still trying to understand what he had just been told. Dumbledore noticed this and cut him short.  
  
"Well Mr. Potter, I'm sure that this night has been a bit confusing, but when the time is right, you will understand everything perfectly. Now I would like to finish my reading before I settle off to bed, and maybe try to find my way back to that bathroom I told you about in your fourth year. To my dismay, I still haven't been able to find it. But alas, I am sure I will someday soon." With that he gave Harry a small wink with one of his twinkling eyes and sent him back to the tower.   
  
Harry couldn't understand what was going on, everything was happening so fast. When he got back to the common room he realized that a lot of time had passed during his meeting with the Headmaster, as it was already 1 in the morning and everyone had already gone off to bed. He sat down in one of the chairs sighing heavily looking into the already diminished fire. He got up and started walking toward the dormitory stairs, only to come face to face with Ginny again. Another meeting in the middle of the night, this could look bad on his reputation.   
  
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A/N: well…I'm going to keep you all waiting until tomorrow night for any more chapters, I have to work until 5 tomorrow so I can't write till then, but I promise I will update tomorrow…hopefully for both of the stories!  
  
Love and Fluff…  
  
Natalie 


	9. The Brothers' Warning

A/N: okay, well I'm going to write another few chapters hopefully, but I'm going to see the Lion King today! :-D…onto the story  
  
Disclaimer…nothing is mine but the ideas, please don't sue!  
  
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"Hello Ginny, what are you doing down here so late?" He asked, a mild playfulness in his voice.   
  
"Well, I had just been sitting at the top of the steps thinking when I heard you come in, so I came down to see if everything was alright."  
  
"Oh, yes everything is fine, Dumbledore just had to tell me something, nothing direly important though." He lied.   
  
"Ah, well yes, of course. Well I suppose I should get to sleep, as the Hogsmeade trip is tomorrow."  
  
Harry had almost forgotten, Dumbledore had offered to take the remainder of the students above second year to Hogsmeade as a Christmas gift to them.   
  
"Oh yeah, about that, would you like to go with me Ginny? I know a great place to go if you like coffee."  
  
Ginny went red in the face and shook her head enthusiastically, Harry smiled and laughed, brushing a piece of hair back from her face.   
  
"Well, good night then Ginny, I'll meet you down here tomorrow."  
  
"Night Harry."  
  
He walked up to the step she was standing on and kissed her softly on the lips, whispering "night" into her ear. He swore that he could feel her shiver next to him as he walked away.   
  
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The next day Harry woke up early and got ready to go to Hogsmeade. He dressed in a dark green sweater and a pair of black trousers. He laughed as he remembered the year before when he had gone shopping with the Weasly's at a muggle clothing store. She had picked it out and said, "Oh Harry, this would really bring out your eyes." She was right.   
  
After he was ready he walked down to the common room, he had tried to be very quiet getting dressed because everyone else was still sleeping. He found it strange that the bed hangings were drawn around Ron's bed, but figured that he just wanted to get some extra sleep and not let the sunshine wake him up.   
  
Coming down the steps he saw that there were already people sitting in the chairs in front of the fire. He also saw that each of them had red hair. Wondering what exactly was going on he began walking toward the fire. Before he reached it the five people stood up and turned around. Harry saw that they were all of the Weasly brother's with the exception of Percy who was still not talking to his father or the family. The five boys followed each other in a single file line and right to Harry. Starting with Ron, then Fred, George, Bill, and Charlie. They circled Harry and stood in a small ring around him. He began to feel a little nervous because they were all staring at him as if they were going to kill him.  
  
"Hey guys, what are you all doing here?"  
  
"Well Harry," Bill began.  
  
"We need to have a little talk with you." Charlie finished his sentence.   
  
"A-about what?" He was getting a bit more nervous now because the ring was closing in on him .   
  
"Well, information from Ron tells us that you asked Ginny to go to Hogsmeade with you today. Is this true?" George gave a sly grin to Ron and he turned slightly pink.  
  
"Yes, I did last night."  
  
"Well we just want to make sure that you don't hurt our baby sister in any way possible." George was the one to speak again.  
  
"Or, we'll kill you." It was his twin's turn to talk now as Fred reached into his robes and pulled out his wand, doing a slashing motion over Harry's throat. "Do you understand?"   
  
Harry nodded, too scared to speak, he knew that the boys wouldn't kill him, but with all five of them together, they could do some unruly damage. That was for sure.   
  
"Very good." Bill said as Fred put his wand back into his robes. They all backed away from Harry, just as Ginny walked down the steps.   
  
"Fred, George, Bill, Charlie! What are you all doing here?" She ran over to her brothers and gave them all great big hugs.   
  
"Just giving Harry a bit of a warning, that's all." Charlie said to his baby sister, as she glared him in the eye. Apparently she knew what the 'bit of a talk' was about.   
  
"Harry treats me fine thanks, and if he did anything to hurt me, I promise I'll tell Ron."  
  
The boys nodded, said their final good bye's and Apparated into thin air. Harry glared at Ron.  
  
"What did you go telling them for?" He said very irritably, he could tell by the look in Ginny's eyes that she was thinking the same thing.   
  
"Well, they threatened to shove a Ton-Tongue-Toffee down my throat if I didn't keep and eye on Gin and make sure that if she did anything with 'anyone of the male gender' here at Hogwarts that was beyond friendship that I would tell them. I'm sorry mate, I'm sorry Ginny."  
  
Harry could see the pleading in Ron's eyes when he told him that he was sorry, and for this, he forgave him.  
  
"Well, its no big deal Ron, just make sure they don't maim me too bad next time they come to visit. And a warning would be nice."  
  
Ron nodded, looking at Ginny, her features had softened when she had heard the sincerity in her brother's voice. She excused herself and went upstairs to get ready for the day. Harry and Ron saw Hermione walking down the steps, but as Ginny went up she hooked her by the arm and dragged her back up the steps, Ron and Harry both began laughing at the look on her face being dragged backwards up the steps.  
  
Ron and Harry played a game of Wizards Chess as they waited for everyone to wake up and go to breakfast. Ron of course, beat Harry, but Harry was used to this, as Ron had been named the best Wizard's Chess player that Hogwarts had ever seen in his first year. He remembered how Ron had sacrificed himself so that Harry could go on and find the Sorcerer's stone. He had really never thanked him for that. He decided to not break Ginny's heart as repayment for his bravery.   
  
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A/N…sorry, not a very interesting chapter, but a transitional one, and we all know that transitional ones are needed! I'm going to try and write a chapter for my other story before I have to go get ready to leave. Please R/R!   
  
Love and Fluff,  
  
Natalie 


	10. Hogsmeade

A/N this will probably be the last chapter for this story before I leave on vacation! I bought myself a new notebook and I'm going to write on the way down to the beach! Since no one has given me any ideas yet I'm going to keep writing what I have so far. Hope you like it! Oh yea…fluff fans….this is one for the books, lol  
  
Disclaimer…not mine, everything belongs to the English lady that's richer than the Queen of England!  
  
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After Ron had beaten him for the millionth time he gave up and sat and waited for Ginny and Hermione. Ron had of course asked Hermione to go, but Harry hadn't suggested they go to Madam Puddifoot's as Ginny would be nervous around Ron.   
  
Around eight o'clock Ginny and Hermione walked down the steps together Harry looked up as they came in. They were both very beautiful, Hermione of course in a friendly sort of way. Harry took Ginny's arm and they began walking to the main hall where everyone else who was going had already gathered. Filch checked their names off on the list and they got into line to wait for the carriages down to Hogsmeade.   
  
Harry and Ginny took a carriage alone, as did Ron and Hermione. This was Harry's one and probably only chance to be completely alone with her the entire day. He took advantage of the situation, scooting very close to her, he was relieved when she moved closer to him and snuggled up against him. He put his arm around her shoulders, bringing her as close as she could come. Hoping that he was keeping her warm in the cold winter weather.   
  
Turning his head and putting it on top of hers, he looked out the side of the carriage, watching the lake glisten under the ice. It was strange how well their body's fit together in that position, but it was a good strange. She laid her head against his chest and he looked at her, how could life get any better. She turned and looked up at him, smiling, seeming to think the same thing as he was. Taking the opportunity he leaned his head in and their lips met, he wrapped his arms around her holding her close. This time, he was daring and parted his lips and hers with his tongue, she seemed surprised by this, but went along with it. He tickled the top of her mouth with his tongue and heard her giggle. They teased each other in this way until they were almost there, finally pulling away from each other just as the carriages were turning into Hogsmeade.  
  
The two met up with Ron and Hermione, the red head's hand placed almost protectively around Hermione's waist. They all decided to go separate ways, after some pleading looks to Ron from Harry. Ron and Hermione started walking away toward the Three Broomsticks as Harry and Ginny turned to go to Madam Puddifoot's.   
  
When they arrived Ginny's eyes lit up as they walked in and she saw the little elves throwing snow from the ceiling as it disappeared just before it hit the heads of the other couples sitting at the small tables in the café. Madam Puddifoot bustled over to the two Gryffindors and led them to one of the tables and gave them menus. Ginny glanced at hers for a moment, deciding just to order a latte, Harry did the same. They sat and talked for what seemed like forever, Harry noticed that she was a lot easier to talk to now that he was used to the fact that they were more than just friends.   
  
After leaving the café they walked up and down the streets occasionally going into shops. Harry had kept asking her if she wanted anything but she had always turned him down politely. When they went into a jewelry shop though, she began eyeing some of the necklaces and charms in the long glass cases. Harry grabbed his mother's ring and the jeweler looked at him suspiciously.   
  
"Excuse me, ma'am, but could you take a look at this and tell me what you think of it?" He unclasped the chain and took off the ring, handing it to the woman. Ginny had wandered off to look at the rest of the shop.   
  
The witch took the ring and put a jewelers loop into her eye, staring at it with scrutiny.   
  
"My my, where did you get this ring dear?" Her eyes flashed up to the scar on his forehead but didn't say a word.   
  
"Well, it was my mother's wedding ring, why do you ask?" He said, not really thinking anything of her staring at his scar, he was used to it.   
  
"Well, this is a very special diamond. When an incantation is said it can tell you the physical status of any person in the world."  
  
The woman's words had taken him aback, he could tell if someone was dead or alive, just by saying a few words.   
  
He looked at the woman, begging her to go on. "Well, the stone is called a Status Diamond, and they are very, very rare. The owner says the incantation, concentrating very hard on the person who they want to know the status of, and the stone will turn different colors depending on how the person is. If they are fine and healthy, it is bright green, when they are on the edge of death, it is red, and when they are dead, it is black."  
  
Harry looked as if he had been stunned, he owned one of the rarest and most valuable stones in the wizarding world. As he was about to as the witch was the incantation was Ginny came up to him and tugged on his robes. He took the ring back, placing it carefully on the chain around his neck, thanking the witch and following Ginny to where she was dragging him.   
  
"Oh Harry, wait till you see it! You'll love it too!" She said, dragging him by his robes   
  
She stopped by a large glass case with chains and charms hanging from the hooks inside. Pointing to one of the golden necklaces and saying, "I like that one."   
  
Harry looked at it, it was a small golden snitch that was fluttering its wings but not moving anywhere. It really was pretty, and he ushered one of the sales witches over. He pointed to the hook where the tiny golden snitch fluttered.  
  
"I'll take that one please."  
  
"Oh Harry!" She hugged him tightly.   
  
"Thank you so much!" She said, her words muffled by his chest.   
  
The sales witch sold the necklace to Harry (50 galleons), and he put it on Ginny, loving the smile that was on her face.   
  
The jeweler's words were still running through his head as they walked out of the shop hand in hand, toward the three broomsticks. It was already 4 o'clock and they had told Ron and Hermione to meet them there at 4:15.   
  
They got a table and Harry ordered two butterbeers as they waited for their friend's to return. They came in about ten minutes later, cheeks bright red, but smiling. Ginny didn't say anything about her new necklace, in fact that she had put it into her sweater so that you could only glimpse of the golden chain around her neck. He found it almost endearing that they had a secret that no one else knew about.   
  
"So Ron, what did you do today?" Harry asked, trying to make conversation in the loud tavern.   
  
"Well, most of the time we just went window shopping and all that, but it got bloody cold after a while, so we went to…well we went to the inn and got a room."  
  
Harry's jaw dropped, and so did Ginny's. Hermione turned a violent shade of red and Ron looked at her.   
  
"Oh Harry, no, we didn't do anything like that at all! We just lit the fire and talked for a while. That's all." He said, looking at the floor. Harry could tell that he was lying, but didn't want to believe it.   
  
They sat in silence for the rest of the time until it was time to go, when they stood up Harry noticed that both of their cloaks were very wrinkled, and Hermione's hair seemed a lot messier than he what it should have been. He pushed the thoughts out of his head as he stepped into the carriage after helping Ginny up. They went back to what they were doing on the way down. Although Harry's brain was still spinning from everything that had happened that day. The diamond, Ron and Hermione, and the way that he had kissed Ginny earlier.   
  
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A/N: cliffhanger!! Hehe….well u all will have to wait a week until I get back from the beach! Sorry, but that's the way it is! Until then…I want a lot of review in my mailbox when I get back! So get to it!!  
  
Love and Fluff,  
  
Natalie 


	11. The Inn

A/N…back from vacation…hope ya'll didn't miss me! But…no one sent me any reviews…*sniff*…oh well, im not gonna wait for any, I wrote a bunch while I was riding down in the car…hope you like it! Oh yea…its really fluffy! Hehe! And I might have to up the rating in a few chapters, but I dunno! Well newayz….this chapter is different…I figured that I might as well let you all know what happened at the Inn with Ron and Hermione! Onto the story!  
  
Disclaimer: nothing is mine, everything belongs to the almighty and powerful JK Rowling…thanks JK!  
  
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"Bloody cold out here isn't it?" Ron said, running his hands up and down his arms and shivering.   
  
They had been walking around the village for about two house after they had parted from Ginny and Harry. The wind had picked up and it started to snow.  
  
"Yeah, I guess it is a bit nippy out here isn't it?" She laughed, smiling at him. Her cheeks and nose were bright red from the cold wind.   
  
"Well, where do you want to go then?" He asked, glancing down the deserted street, squinting his eyes against the wind. He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her, hoping for warmth and hoping that he was warming her as well.   
  
"No clue, what about the Three Broomsticks? I could go for a warm butterbeer to thaw me out!" She giggled again.  
  
Ron spotted a sign up the street that sent his head spinning and his heart racing. He thought for a moment, considering what she might do if he took her there. He took the risk and turned to her.  
  
"I know exactly where to go, follow me." He grabbed her hand and pulled her up the street, his heart racing faster with every step. He walked in, glad to be away from the cold. Hermione stood in awe, looking at her surroundings.  
  
He went up to the desk and asked the witch how much it was hourly, she replied in a hasty manner, "10 galleons per hour." She glanced at his cloak where the Hogwarts crest was embroidered, but didn't say anything. He paid the witch 50 galleons and took Hermione's hand, not sure if she would follow him or slap him. Against her better judgment she followed him up the stairs to their room.   
  
Their room was small, but good enough for Ron. There was a king sized bed, full bathroom, and a fireplace with two chairs in front of it. He took off his cloak and hung it on the rack by the door as she had done then sat in one of the chairs by the fire. She lit the fire with her wand and, instead of taking the other chair strolled over and sat on his lap, putting her arms around his neck.   
  
"Well this is much warmer isn't it?" He chuckled staring into her honey brown eyes, she smiled.  
  
"Much." The Gryffindor giggled, squirming closer to him.   
  
He couldn't take it anymore, and pulled her head toward his, his fingers playing with her soft brown curls. He kissed her deeply, more deeply than he had ever kissed anyone before.   
  
She pulled away from him, almost gasping for breath. "Merlin, Ron…" she whispered, smiling.  
  
He hooked his arm under her legs and stood from the chair, she shrieked with glee as she was carried across the room to the bed. He laid her down on the satin bed cover and she looked up at him with mixed feelings, raising her eyebrows.   
  
He smiled and removed his robes, and tie, unbuttoning his white dress shirt and shrugging it off his shoulders. Then he kicked off his shoes and climbed on the bed next to her. She sat up and did the same, removing her robes, tie and shoes, but leaving her shirt on. She laid back on the bed and faced him again.   
  
Running his fingers through her hair, he smiled widely. His heart was beating so hard and fast that he was sure she could hear it just laying next to him. He pulled her toward him for another kiss, this one more passionate and head spinning than the first.   
  
When they broke apart, it wasn't fast and gasping, but sweet and tender. She buried her face into his chest and snuggled up against him, her hair tickling his nose. He chuckled, noticing that she smelled of strawberries.   
  
She laid on her back again and he sat up leaning over her and brushing a few loose strands of curls from her face.  
  
"Your beautiful." He whispered.  
  
She smiled sweetly, not saying a word. He kissed her softly again, moving his lips down to the curve of her neck, a small sigh escaped her lips. He stopped when she did this and looked at her. He reached for her shirt and unbuttoned the top two buttons, then unbuttoned them from the bottom up, leaving the third one down buttoned to preserve her modesty.  
  
"Ron…" She began.  
  
"Shhh…." He hushed her, placing a finger to her lips. "I want to remember you just the way you are, you look like an angel, my angel."  
  
She ran her hands up his now bare chest, feeling a shiver run up his spine. He looked so perfect, everything seemed so perfect, but she knew this wasn't right.  
  
He reached to unbutton the last button on her shirt but a shaking hand stopped him, he looked down at her face, a tear was glimmering in her eye.  
  
"Ron, we are rushing into things, I want to wait, I don't want it to be like this."   
  
He looked at her and could see the seriousness in her eyes. She was right, they were rushing into things, but everything had felt so right, he couldn't help himself.   
  
"Yeah, you're right, I'm sorry, Hermione. I rushed into things, I shouldn't have brought you here." He frowned and looked away from her.   
  
"Oh Ron, no! I'm glad we came here, it made me realize how much I really do…" She paused.  
  
"You really do what?" He asked her curiously, even though he knew what she was about to say.  
  
"I love you." She whispered, afraid her voice may falter if she said it any louder.  
  
"I love you too Hermione, I love you too."   
  
He kissed her again, shorter this time but with just as much meaning as the others if not more. They laid on the bed and just held each other talking about whatever came to mind.   
  
They had been silent for a few minutes when Ron whispered into her ear, "I never want to let go of you." He squeezed her tighter and closer to him.  
  
"Don't." She replied simply.  
  
He held her close and closed his eyes, wishing that this day would never end, but eventually it did and he and Hermione regained their composure and walked back down the street to meet up with Harry and Ginny. After they had put all their clothes on he walked up behind her and turned her around gently.   
  
"I love you Hermione Granger, and don't you ever ever forget that."   
  
"I love you too Ron Weasly, and I promise I won't if you won't."   
  
They kissed again, softly then took each other's hands and walked to meet up with Harry and Ginny. Ron's head was still spinning and his heart was still racing when they met them.   
  
*********************************************  
  
A/N FLUFFY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hope everyone loved it! PLEASE REVIEW…my mailbox is getting lonely! *sniff*   
  
Love and Fluff!  
  
Natalie 


	12. The Incantation

A/N…back to normal mode…to the story! Thanks for the reviews guys!!  
  
Disclaimer: really…they aren't mine….don't sue.  
  
******************************  
  
The got up from the table and left to go to the place where the carriages were, he and Ginny took on eof the carriages and Ron and Hermione took another. He wrapped his arms around her again but didn't say anything to her. They were about halfway up to the castle when she said something.  
  
"Harry?"   
  
"Yeah Ginny?"   
  
"I have a problem." She was trying to draw this out for as long as she could.  
  
"What would that be?" He laughed, knowing she was just playing with him.  
  
"Well, you see, I have this friend, who really likes this guy, and she thinks he really likes her too, but she doesn't know how to say this thing that she's been dieing to say." She looked up at him, grinning.  
  
"What would that be Ginny?"   
  
"Well," She snuggled up closer to him, "Its three words that have a lot of meaning to them, and you really aren't supposed to say them unless you mean it."  
  
He looked down at her and smiled, "What three words would that be Ginny?" He cupped his hand under her chin and brought her gaze up to his.  
  
"I…love….you." She stared into his emerald eyes, and felt her heart flutter.  
  
He kissed her softly, "I love you too Ginny."  
  
She smiled and laid her head on his chest, they rode the rest of the way to the castle in a sweet silence.  
  
******************************  
  
When they returned that night everyone was buzzing around the common room, still hyper from the day. Ron and Hermione were sitting in one of the chairs by the fire, Hermione was on his lap and had her arms around his neck. Harry and Ginny were in the same position in another chair.   
  
Harry desperately wanted to tell everyone about his mother's ring, but everything was so perfect that he couldn't do it. They sat in the chairs talking quietly until the crowd in the common room had died down. Harry found this a better time than ever to bring it up.  
  
"I found out what powers my moms ring has."  
  
Everyone's head snapped to look toward him, they all began talking excitedly and asked him what the powers were. He explained about the stone and the ring, everyone looked at him with astonishment.  
  
"Harry, we need to find out that incantation, those are really rare, we could do a lot with it!" Hermione had gotten up and was now rooting through her bag for a book, she pulled it out and went to sit on Ron's lap again and began to look through it.  
  
"Here it is! The Status Stone, also known as the Status Diamond. The incantation is, statuatorius, you have to put the ring on your left ring finger and say it, then say the name of who you want to know the status of. Here Harry, let me see it."  
  
Harry reluctantly took the chain off his neck and handed the ring to Hermione, she put it on her finger and said, "Statuatorius, Harry Potter." The diamond turned bright green for about 10 seconds and then faded.   
  
"Bloody brilliant." Ron muttered, as he watched the ring in awe.   
  
"Try it again, with someone who isn't living any more." Harry urged her.  
  
Hermione nodded and said, "Statuatorius, Lily Potter." The diamond now turned black and then faded again. Harry looked at her, his throat tightening and then held out his hand for the ring. Hermione handed it to him.   
  
He put it on his left ring finger and said the incantation, "Statuatorius, Voldemort." Everyone jumped when he said his name but Harry stared at the stone. It was pale green.  
  
"He's alive, but just barely." His features were grim. He placed the ring back on the chain around his neck. Hermione seemed flustered and bid everyone goodnight, Ron followed her up the steps to the dormitory to give her a more appropriate goodbye. Ginny yawned and Harry chuckled.  
  
"Go to sleep Ginny, you look exhausted."   
  
"Yes mother," she said sarcastically, laughing.  
  
"Goodnight Ginny," He kissed her softly before scooping her up and carrying her up the stairs. She squealed but calmed down as he took the steps with ease.   
  
"Goodnight, my prince." She kissed him again after he had set her down. She turned around and walked toward her dorm room, he turn and went to his, it had been a long day.   
  
******************************  
  
The next morning was a Sunday, so everyone slept in until their stomachs woke them up. Harry was the last one up and he ambled down to the Great Hall to find that everyone was engulfed in eating and talking. He took a seat next to Ginny and Hermione piling some bacon and eggs onto his plate.   
  
Hermione was buried in a book, as usual, and Harry looked over to see what she was reading about. The page was opened to the Status Stone. She dripped a bit of apple juice onto the page but didn't seem to care.  
  
"Harry, you can tell what kind of mood they are in too!" She looked up, beaming. Harry swallowed his bacon and looked at her.  
  
"What's the incantation!?" Ginny took the words from his mouth, he looked at Hermione expectantly.  
  
"Statuatorius moodius, then you say the name. They have a list of what the colors mean too." She took out a piece of parchment and copied down the colors and what they meant then handed it to Harry. He took the ring off his chain again and placed it on his finger saying the incantation.  
  
"Statuatorius moodius Ginny Weasly." The diamond turned pale blue and Harry looked at the sheet, "Daydreaming." He said aloud, Ginny looked up from her plate.   
  
"Did you say something Harry?"   
  
They all began laughing and went back to their food. Harry folded up the parchment and slipped it in the pocket of his robe, and then put the ring back on his chain. He had new powers, he could read people and that might lead to some major mischief, but he didn't care, as long as he didn't get caught.  
  
******************************  
  
A/N…short chapter….sry, writers block big time! I wanna try my hand at a stand alone story….so be waiting for it!  
  
Love and Fluff,   
  
Natalie 


	13. Alive?

A/N…id like to thank Fallen Angel for curing my writers block! I love your idea…thanks so much! Onto the story…oh yea, there will be a major OotP spoiler chapter in a bit….so yea…  
  
Disclaimer: My name is not JK Rowling, therefore, I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters and such.  
*****  
Harry's day was quite normal for a Sunday, he played Wizard's Chess and Exploding Snap with Ron over and over in the common room until Hermione yelled at them to shut up.  
  
"What's_ her_ problem?" Ron laughed, going over and putting his arms around Hermione. Harry didn't have a clue where Ginny was, she had left after breakfast and hadn't shown up for lunch or dinner, Harry just hoped that she was okay.   
  
He yawned a pseudo yawn and turned to Ron and Hermione, "Well, I'm tired, I'm going to bed, I'll talk to you all tomorrow morning." Ron just waved goodnight, his lips were…busy at the moment.   
  
He laughed and walked up to his dormitory, putting on his pajamas and crawling into bed, he pulled the curtains around his four-poster and sat up, pulling his knees toward him. He took the ring off the chain and placed it on his finger, he had to do it.   
  
"_Statuatorius moodius_, Ginny Weasly." He said clearly, the diamond turned gray and Harry took out the paper Hermione had given him, searching for gray.   
  
"Unconscious," He whispered. He grabbed the Marauder's Map and the invisibility cloak and ran down the steps.   
  
"Ron! Ginny's hurt! We have to go! **NOW**!" He yelled.  
  
Ron's head snapped up and so did Hermione's. They both leapt up and ran over to him, Harry put the cloak over the three of them and looked at the map, Ginny was in the Room of Requirement. They ran out of the common room and up to the 7th floor, the door to the room was locked but Hermione unlocked it with _alohamora_. They ran to where Ginny was laying in the middle of the room, throwing the cloak off by the door.  
  
"Ginny!" Ron gasped, grabbing his sisters face and shaking it, "Wake up! Please wake up!"  
  
Hermione on the other hand was looking around the room, trying to figure out what she would have been doing there. The room was just a stone dungeon, nothing special, covered in stone, no chairs, just torches to light it.   
  
"Strange," She muttered.  
  
Harry was knelt next to Ginny but couldn't bear to look. He wished there was something that he could do, but he didn't know what. After much slapping by her brother, Ginny began to stir.  
  
"Ginny!?" Harry breathed.   
  
"Oh God, it hurts." She moaned, opening her eyes. Hermione rushed over and stooped next to her.  
  
"What happened Ginny?" Ron whispered, brushing the hair out of her eyes.   
  
"Someone…grabbed me, Cruciatus Curse." She coughed, Hermione gasped.  
  
"Oh God, Ginny." Harry bent closer to her.   
  
"We need to get her to the hospital wing." Ron said urgently.  
  
Ron grabbed Ginny's feet as Harry grabbed her head, Hermione walked beside her looking at the map watching for people coming. They made it to the hospital wing without any meetings, but a close call with Mrs. Norris.   
  
"Madam Pomfrey!" Ron yelled as they ran into the Hospital Wing.  
  
The mediwitch hurried over to where the boys had laid Ginny, she was starting to come to, but just barely.  
  
"What happened here!?" She asked, bustling about and trying to revive her.   
  
"We found her on the 7th floor, she said someone had performed the Cruciatus Curse on her."  
  
"Oh dear, this is very bad. Miss Granger, please go get the headmaster then return to your dormitory, boys, go get Professor McGonagall and then return to the tower. Why are you just standing here? **GO**!" Everyone ran out the door of the hospital wing, without looking back. Hermione ran into Dumbledore as he was coming down the steps from his office, he said that he was already aware of Miss Weasly and was on his way.   
  
The original Trio met in the common room, out of breath and very scared. Hermione was crying already.  
  
"Who would have done that? Why!?" She sobbed, Ron put his arms around her and she bawled into his chest. Harry on the other hand was looking at his mother's ring.  
  
"_Statuatorius,_ Ginny Weasly." He sighed, the ring turned pale green. "Don't worry Ron, she'll be fine."   
  
He bid them goodnight and went back up to his room, wishing he had someone he could talk to. He had fixed the mirror that Sirus had given him last year and he picked it up.   
  
"Sirus, I need you." He whispered, a tear tracing down his jawbone.   
  
He imagined the smiling face of Sirus appearing on the mirror, but it remained black. He sighed and let a few more hot tears fall from his eyes then placed the mirror back in his trunk. Everything was going wrong now, he had found someone he loved 3 years ago and then lost him last year, and now he found someone else he loved, and he almost lost her as well.  
  
He looked at the ring on his finger, reaching up to unclasp the chain around his neck. He stopped before putting the ring on the chain and slipped it back on his finger, it was worth a try.   
  
"_Statuatorius,_ Sirus Black." Harry's breath caught in his throat as he watched the diamond change color, it was pale red.  
  
"Sirus, isn't dead?" He whispered, he ran down the stairs into the common room to find that Ron had calmed Hermione down slightly and they were talking quietly by the fire.   
  
"Ron, Hermione!" They looked up at a slightly flushed Harry.  
  
"What is it mate?" Ron asked, looking puzzled.  
  
"Snuffles is alive but just barely!" He gasped, watching the looks on Ron and Hermione's faces brighten considerably.  
  
"Alive? But we all saw it, Bellatrix's spell hit him in the chest, he fell through the veil Harry." Hermione said.  
  
"But, we don't know what she hit him with, none of us heard it, and _Avada Kedavra _is a green light, not red, and her spell was red." Harry said, his eyes burning with hopefulness.  
  
"Well, how are we going to find out Harry? Maybe Sirus is really still alive." Ron said, scratching his chin,  
  
"I don't know, maybe Dumbledore can help us." He thought aloud, Ron and Hermione agreed that they would see him tomorrow.  
*****  
They woke up the next morning and rushed through breakfast. Then they ran down to the hospital wing to check on Ginny. She was sitting up in bed and smiled when they came in. Harry bent down and kissed her softly on the cheek.  
  
"Gin, how are you?" Ron asked, his eyes showed how worried he was.  
  
"Oh Ron, I'm better, Madam Pomfrey made me well again." She smiled, this comforted Harry somewhat. Hermione began to tell her about the news Harry had found out about Sirus, she broke out into a wide smile.   
  
"Oh Harry! That's great! I wish I could go with you, but I'm not aloud out of here until I'm one hundred percent better." She hugged him.  
  
"Yeah Ginny, that reminds me, what happened last night?" He asked, sitting on the edge of her bed.  
  
"Well, I was just coming out of breakfast when I decided to take a walk around the castle, just to think about things. I was walking down a fourth floor corridor when someone came up from behind me and grabbed me. I tried to scream but they put the muting spell on me. They dragged me up to the Room of Requirement and put the Cruciatus Curse on me. I couldn't scream, but if I could, I would have woken the entire castle. It was so horrible, it was like thousands of fish hooks were tearing me apart." She stopped and started crying, Harry held her tenderly. "They kept me there and left for a bit, but they came back four or five times and did it again. I just wanted to die. They left me to die and that's when you all came to get me."   
  
"Oh, Ginny." Hermione hugged her tightly.  
  
"We need to find out who it was." Ron said, pounding on the bedside table.  
  
"We can later Ron, but you need to go to Dumbledore about Sirus." Ginny pulled away from Harry and shooed them out of the room, along with Madam Pomfrey. Harry let go reluctantly and left.  
  
The trio walked up to Dumbledore's office, trying every candy they knew of to get the password. Hermione was the one to get it when she said, "bubble gum!" They ascended the steps to the office, Dumbledore looked up when they walked in.  
  
"Ah, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasly, Miss Granger, what can I do for you?" His hands were on the desk with his fingers pushed like a steeple.   
  
Harry told him about Sirus and Dumbledore sat listening attentively until he was done. When he was, the old man smiled.  
  
"Ah, Harry, I'm glad you found out the powers of the Status Diamond, but I'm not sure on what you are saying about Sirus. Are you saying he is still alive?"  
  
"Yes Professor, but just barely."  
  
Dumbledore nodded, "Very well, I will contact the Department of Mysteries to obtain a portkey. We will go and find out what really happened to your God-Father."   
  
Harry grinned, "Thank you Professor."   
  
They left Dumbledore in his office, and walked to the hospital wing to tell Ginny about Dumbledore's plan, she was ecstatic.   
*****  
A/N…wow…I could go a lot of ways with this one! Hope ya like it! Please Review!!!  
  
Love and Fluff,  
Natalie  



	14. Back in Time

A/N: Sorry if the last chapter seemed a little rushed, but I couldn't figure out how to do that in a good way…so yea, here's the next chapter! (oh yea, to Sammy Jo, sry I had to take the whole…timer turner for calling me an insane bat thing…but they went somewhere else!)   
  
Disclaimer: I am not British, my name is not Jo, and I am not richer than the queen…therefore I did not make up all this stuff..k? k! (The quotes from the book on this chapter came from page 804 and up!)  
*****  
Dumbledore contacted the Trio the next morning and asked them to come to his office, they did so with their hearts in the throats.   
  
"I have contacted the Department of Mysteries, they have sent me not a portkey, but a time turner. This time turner is very different. When you turn it, you will be sent back only for an hour, and then you will come back, you are also not visible when you go back, so you do not need to fear being seen. The turner is programmed to go back to just before Sirus died, but remember, you need to all be under the chain of the turner when the sand run outs." Dumbledore smiled.  
  
"But sir, how did you get the Department to agree to all this so quickly?" Harry asked, still incredulous.   
  
"Ah, it was a bit of an apology for calling me an insane bat when I told them Voldemort was back last year." He winked, Ron jumped.  
  
"So, when can we go?" Hermione piped in.  
  
"As soon as you would like, but I must tell you that Miss Weasly will not be aloud to join you."  
  
"We figured that, but we'd like to go now, please Professor." Harry said.  
  
"Very well, put the chain around your necks and turn it over one time. Please be careful, do not try to reverse time, you are just going to see if Sirus is still alive. Good luck." He winked and handed them the turner.   
  
They looked at each other with excitement in their eyes and put the large chain around their necks. Harry turned the hourglass and felt as if he was flying very fast backward. Dumbledore's office dissolved and soon Harry found himself at the Department of mysteries, watching the battles going on below.  
  
Ron and Hermione looked awestruck, Harry had forgotten how they were both out of the room during the heat of the battle.   
  
"Harry look! There's you and Neville!" Ron bellowed.  
  
Harry looked down and saw not only himself struggling with Neville, but Sirus struggling with Bellatrix. He saw the prophecy fly out of Neville's pocket and smash on the ground. The familiar pearly white figure rose out of it, its magnificent eyes shining as it spoke inaudible words.   
  
Then Dumbledore arrived, his brilliant eyes now furious. Harry felt the same feeling as before, he knew that they were saved. Although they were in no danger now, they were then.  
  
Then he remembered, it was right after Dumbledore arrived that Sirus had been hit.   
  
"Hurry guys! We don't have much time, we need to get down and see what happens to Sirus!" Harry yelled, running toward where Sirus and Bellatrix were battling. Ron and Hermione followed.   
  
Harry ran over and stood behind Bellatrix, not letting the few hot tears in his eyes fall as he looked at Sirus with laughter in his eyes.  
  
"Come on, you can do better than that!" He yelled at her, a smile coming onto his face. That was when she said it.  
  
"_Mortaliosis_!" She screamed, the red beam shot out of the end of her wand and hit Sirus squarely in the chest. Harry couldn't bear to watch but forced himself to. Hermione clung to not Ron's arm but his and Ron was still standing trying to catch flies with his mouth. Harry saw it again, the laughter had not died from Sirus's face as he fell backward in the same graceful arc as before. He landed on the ground and fell into the veil hanging from the archway. It fluttered as if in high winds and then Sirus was gone.   
  
"Oh Harry." Hermione wiped a tear from her cheek, Ron had closed his mouth but was still looking at the place where Sirus had once stood.   
  
Bellatrix ran off to where Harry knew Dumbledore and Voldemort were fighting by the fountain. Harry walked over to the veil and ran his hand along it. He couldn't see through it, and he couldn't feel it, but he knew that Sirus lay just beyond that veil.   
  
"What did Bellatrix hit him with?" He asked.  
  
"_Mortaliosis_," Ron whispered the first words he had said since Sirus had been hit.   
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Its meant to put the person it hits into a coma, then when they can't fight back, they normally hit them with one of the unforgivable curses." Hermione said, walking over to where Ron and Harry stood.   
  
The chamber was now empty besides a few Death Eaters laying on the floor dead and Harry could hear Dumbledore and Voldemort battling outside.   
  
"I'm going in, I have to find Sirus." Harry said, running his hand over the veil again.   
  
"No, Harry. You don't know what's behind there." Hermione pleaded, grabbing his arm.   
  
"I have to Hermione. If the time runs out and I'm not back, you go back and get Dumbledore back here, he should know what to do." And before Hermione could protest Harry had stepped beyond the veil and into the unknown.  
  
Hermione screamed as he did it and ran after him, but Ron grabbed her arm before she fell into the veil herself.   
  
"No Hermione, we can't. We need to let him do this on his own. Now, lets go and see what's going on up there since we still have time left. If Harry comes back out and the time isn't up, we can come back and get him." Ron's voice was unusually calm.   
  
Hermione wiped her tears and followed Ron up the stone steps and through the door, looking back only once at the stone archway where Harry had gone through just moments before. He was not there.   
*****  
A/N! CLIFFHANGERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!! I'll tell ya'll what happened behind the veil tomorrow! And if you want something to read…check out my stand alone story! Its called…who knows?   
  
Love and Fluff,  
Natalie  



	15. Through the Veil

A/N…NO MORE WAITING! Hehe…hope everyone likes this chapter…  
  
Disclaimer: none of the characters are mine…just the plot  
*****  
As Harry stepped through the veil he felt a sensation like he was spinning very fast in circles. He landed with a thud on the hard stone floor. He sat up and rubbed his head.  
  
"Ow."  
  
"My sentiments exactly." Harry heard a familiar voice from behind him.  
  
"Sirus?" He snapped around to see his God-father smiling and rubbing his chest.   
  
"In the flesh, or at least I think I am." He laughed.  
  
Harry ran to hug him, tears rolling down his cheek. He wasn't dead after all.   
  
"Whoa, Harry, why are you crying?"   
  
"I thought you were dead." He said, explaining everything. When he was done Sirus rubbed his head.   
  
"So, you came back from the future, and your mother's ring had powers, and…oh, this is too much to comprehend."   
  
"That's okay Sirus, we can talk about it later, but now we need to figure out how to get out of here." Harry looked around at where they were. It was like a stone dungeon with a window toward the top but the top was about 50 feet up. The window was draped with the same fabric as the veil. The rest of the room was just stone walls, no way out besides that window.   
  
"Sirus, that has got to be the way out." Harry pointed to the window.  
  
"Probably, but we can't get up there, its too high." Sirus sighed, sitting on the cold floor.   
  
Harry sat down beside him. "There's got to be another way. There just has to."  
*****  
On the other side of the veil Ron and Hermione had returned awestruck from watching Dumbledore and Voldemort battling it out. It was over now, and their time was almost up. As they walked back into the room Hermione noticed that Harry wasn't there.  
  
"Ron, he's not here. He has to be! He has to come back." She ran to Ron and began heaving sobs into his chest. He stroked her hair and talked to her softly.  
  
"Hermione, he'll be fine. Dumbledore will know what to do. Don't worry about it." Ron reassured her, although inside, he was very worried about his best friend as well.  
  
He put the chain around their necks as the last of the sand ran out and they left the room behind only to appear in Dumbledore's office as they were before, only this time, they were without the Boy Who Lived. They explained to a silent Dumbledore, his eyes glimmering under half-moon spectacles.   
  
"We shall deal with this problem tomorrow, but now I ask that you return to your rooms, Harry will be safe, I assure you."  
*****  
5 Days Later  
  
"Sirus, I don't know how much longer I can make it." Harry whispered. His body was beginning to give out from lack of food or water but he refused to give up.  
  
"Harry, don't worry, everything will turn out okay in the end." Sirus gave a reassuring smile and laid back with a sigh on the hard stone floor, drifting off to sleep. Sleep was their only escape from the pain that plagued their bodies. Harry laid back and tried to do the same. His stomach growled loudly and he began to cry. His body was so dehydrated that all that came out was a few dry sobs.  
  
"Sirus, there has got to be a way out, I just wish I had my wand." Harry sighed. There was no answer from his God-Father so he realized he must had fallen asleep. He laid back again and instead of just falling to sleep, he fell into an unconscious sleep.   
  
Sirus woke up and tried to wake Harry when he heard noises from the window above. Harry would not wake up so Sirus slapped him hard on the cheek, this did it.  
  
"Ow, what was that for?" He said quietly but irritably rubbing his cheek.  
  
Sirus pushed himself up and pointed toward the window at the ceiling. "There's something going on up there." He whispered.  
  
Harry looked up and listened hard, he heard voices! They were saved. A rope ladder came though the window and Harry and Sirus used all their strength they had left to climb the ladder. The fresh air both made them faint.   
  
"Oh Merlin Ron, look at them." Hermione cried. She was right, they looked horrible. Their faces were sunken in from the lack of food and water, and their skin was a pale yellow color.   
  
The two were transported to the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts where Madam Pomfrey was beside herself. Ginny sat up in bed when they came in with them, a worrisome smile crossing her face. At least they were alive. She got up out of bed and walked over to where Harry lay. His eyes were closed tightly and he looked like something out of a horror movie. Tears began streaming down her cheeks as she looked at the one she loved laying unconscious on the bed.   
  
She removed the golden snitch necklace from her neck and placed it around Harry's and kissed his forehead then walked over to Sirus. He looked like he had just gotten out of Azkaban, it scared her so much she had to look away. Madam Pomfrey came out of her office and ushered her back to her own bed. She lay down and said a small prayer for the two of them before falling asleep, her body still wasn't back to normal yet.  
******  
A/N…sorry bit of a short chapter for such a long wait…but I've been working on my other story every day, hope you aren't too upset with me! Please review!  
  
Love and Fluff,  
Natalie 


	16. Author's note

a/n…wow…I've completely and totally been a bad person for not updating this story since like what…last august! Sorry! *runs and hides* unfortunately, this is just a post to tell you all that I'm very sorry for not updating…I only have 40 reviews for this story, so it really hasn't been on the top of my priority list as you can see! So sorry about all of this but I promise that I will have finished this story by the end of august and I promise to update soon. 

Love and Fluff, 

Natalie


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